In search of her dream job, Ellen founded Body Poets in 2004, and the result has been everything she wanted it to be. With its group of passionate and treatment-focused registered massage therapists, the clinic offers every client high-quality, comprehensive massage care, a friendly and relaxing environment, and a network of links to other health professionals.

Ellen's work is grounded in meditation, mindfulness, compassion, and gratitude. She seeks daily to increase her skill in these areas and in the technical aspects of massage, blending art and science to deliver ever-more effective results to her clients. Her advanced massage studies have included Thai massage, cupping, myofascial techniques, whiplash treatment, breast massage, and scar rehabilitation, and she is a former yoga teacher and current yoga student. The more she learns about the body, the more she sees it flourishing when treated as an integrated whole, and the more excited she gets about her work.

Whether you have an injury, a long-term pain, a heartache, or a nervous system in overdrive, Ellen will draw from a range of techniques to address your individual situation. She increasingly finds benefit in whole-system approaches, such as MIPAWORK (myofascial integration and structural alignment), that aim to rebalance old patterns and restore the body to a more functional, neutral state, and essential oils, with their balancing effect on the nervous system. Her treatment style ranges from deep pressure and deep-tissue to soothing and restorative, always guided by what is right for each client in that particular moment.

Ellen works at both our locations: in downtown Ottawa and in Almonte. She lives just west of Almonte, Ontario, on a two-acre plot surrounded by woods, fields, hawks, deer, sheep, horses, and split-rail fences. When she's not massaging you may find her outside in rubber boots, indoors snuggling cats, gone for a run, doing yoga, or writing poetry. She blogs at www.ottawamassageblog.com, www.almontemassage.com, and www.ellensymons.com.

For Ellen's schedule of treatment hours in Almonte and in Ottawa, visit our online booking at www.bodypoets.com.